Boehner in the catbird's seat

1:12 PM,
Oct. 11, 2013

House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio stops to greet visitors from Panama City, Fla., guests of Rep. Steve Southerland, R-Fla.. After weeks of ultimatums, President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans are exploring whether they can end a budget standoff that has triggered a partial government shutdown and edged Washington to the verge of a historic, economy-jarring federal default.

Written by

EUGENE ROBINSON

Don't feel sorry for John Boehner. His party and his country may be losers in this absurd crisis, but he clearly intends to come out a winner.

It's tempting to sympathize with the House speaker, putative ringmaster of an unruly and at times incoherent Republican majority that delights in thinking the unthinkable. How do you handle someone like Rep. Ted Yoho, R-Fla., who actually believes that crashing into the debt ceiling - and triggering a default - would somehow inspire confidence in the U.S. economy?

Leading the hard-core tea party caucus is in no sense an easy task. But it should at least ...